Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Vocational training

Exclusion and Poverty

Poverty and Inequality

Defining Poverty

Poverty is a complex issue with various dimensions:

• Absolute Poverty: Lack of essential resources to meet basic needs like food, shelter, education, and healthcare.
• Relative Poverty: Having an income level below the societal average, even if basic needs are met.

Measuring Poverty

• Absolute Poverty: Establishing a fixed poverty line applicable to all locations.
• Relative Poverty: Comparing a specific group's income to the rest of the population.

Poverty as a Lack of Ability

Poverty should be viewed as a deprivation of basic abilities, often linked to income. While income is a crucial factor, it's not the sole determinant of one's capabilities.

The Relationship Between Income and Ability

Understanding...

The Conflict Between King Henry II and Thomas Becket

However, he soon began excommunicating all of Henry’s supporters. Henry flew into a rage, shouting the famous phrase: “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” and four knights decided to satisfy the king’s wishes. These are the knights mentioned at the beginning of the text, who enter the Cathedral of Canterbury eagerly looking for Becket (line 8: “...furiously cried aloud, ‘Where is this traitor?’”). Already in the first paragraph, Roger of Hoveden designates them as “ignominious” and “satellites of Satan,” making his point of view inferable, and writes their names down so everyone knows they are guilty of the crime which is about to happen.

The Martyrdom and Sacrifice

The Worcester Chronicle: 11th Century England

A Pivotal Historical Source

This fragment is from a bilingual edition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of only two sources documenting English history from the Roman period to the Norman Conquest. It was originally written in Old English, the language introduced to England by Anglo-Saxon culture.

During the 9th century, King Alfred the Great promoted Old English as a literary and cultural language (Latin had, until then, been considered of higher value). He organized the Scholarly Circle, which began translating and writing in Old English for the first time. As a result, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was compiled: a historical chronicle written year by year, organized into annals, containing a vast amount...

Thomas More and the Ideals of Humanism

His book Utopia is a foundational text in Humanism, describing an ideal world governed by reason. More represented the emerging “nobility of merit”; born without privilege, he earned the King’s favor. However, he eventually lost this standing when he refused to accept the King’s conditions, as depicted in the text where he is questioned by three nobles for refusing to swear the oath to the Act of Succession.

The 1534 Act of Succession

The First Act of Succession, signed in 1534, appointed Princess Elizabeth—daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn—as the true successor to the Crown, while declaring Princess Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, a bastard. Refusal to take the oath was considered...

Environmental Taxes and Taxation Principles

An environmental tax is a tax whose tax base is a physical unit (or a proxy of it) of something that has a proven, specific negative impact on the environment and which is defined in the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) as a tax.

European statistics distinguish four different categories of environmental taxes relating to energy, transport, pollution and resources; value added tax (VAT) is excluded from the scope of environmental taxes.

Environmental taxes have been increasingly used to influence the behaviour of economic operators, whether producers or consumers. These taxes also generate revenue that can be used by governments to increase expenditure on environmental protection or for the efficient...

Unit 2 Level 1 Answer Key

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching

1. Abducted
2. Speed
3. Well-deserved
4. Launched
5. Widespread
6. Crew
7. Wrap up
8. Voyage

Exercise 2: Sentence Completion

(Logical endings based on context)

1. A car
2. The rains in all the country
3. You must bring your lunch
4. Thought it was real
5. Difficult to pick them
6. A lot of time

Exercise 3: Phrasal Verbs

1. Pick up
2. Work out
3. Took off
4. Use up
5. Catch on
6. Carry out
7. Broke down
8. Put on

Unit 2 Level 2 Answer Key

Exercise 1: Vocabulary

1. Able to
2. Accurate
3. Expected
4. Man
5. Crash
6. Convincing
7. Under

Exercise 2: Logical Responses

(Possible answers provided)

1. Because it doesn’t make any sense.
2. There is supposed to be a storm on Saturday night.
3. I would like to overcome my fear of heights.
4. Because it was old and dangerous.
5. The biggest drawback is the low pay.
6. They’ve decided to

Money and Financial Systems

Barter: Goods or services are exchanged without the use of cash.

Types of Money

• Goods: Physical items used as currency.
• Coins and Paper: Traditional physical currency.
• Fiat Money: Currency that does not have intrinsic value (dinero fiduciario).
• Bitcoin: A decentralized digital currency.

Functions of Money

• Medium of exchange.
• Standard of value.
• Extremely liquid store of wealth.

Banking and Credit Terms

Collateral: An asset that a lender accepts as security for a loan.

CDO (Collateralized Debt Obligation): A complex structured financial product.

CDS (Credit Default Swap): A financial derivative that allows an investor to swap or offset their credit risk with that of another investor.

Redeemable Money: Currency that can be exchanged...

1. The CEO of Gulf Italia could probably justify paying a bribe to Italian government officials if he embraced a Utilitarian ethical framework.

2. When a company creates a wholly owned subsidiary in a foreign country, it makes a direct investment to establish a business that it solely owns and controls there.

3. Which of the following is NOT true about Whole Foods? Workers are encouraged to form unions.

4. According to the Friedman Doctrine, 'the business of business is business.'

5. According to management Guru Peter Drucker, the main responsibilities of a manager include all of the following EXCEPT: Disciplining people for bad.

6. European multinational firms commonly use a region-country focused approach because they are operating in multiple...

Key Concepts in International Trade Economics

Market Structures Comparison

Oligopoly vs. Monopolistic Competition

• Oligopoly: Refers to a market dominated by a small number of firms, where each firm formulates its strategy based on anticipated actions of the others.
• Monopolistic Competition: Refers to firms that possess brands granting them a degree of monopoly power, but they compete against other firms offering differentiated products that are close substitutes.

Production Location Decisions

Outsourcing and Offshoring

• Outsourcing: Production contracted to another firm, which may be located either inside the home country or abroad.
• Offshoring: Refers to relocating some or all production activities to a foreign country.

Trade Patterns

Interindustry vs.

My Free Time in Valencia

When I have free time, I usually spend it doing outdoor activities. I go for a walk, cycle, visit a river with my friends, walk on the beach, or enjoy a meal on a terrace.

Valencia is sunny almost every day, and I enjoy doing all these activities outdoors. In summer, because it is too hot, I avoid going out in the morning to very hot places. Instead, I take the opportunity to go to a restaurant, the cinema, or air-conditioned shopping centers.

At night, I go to bed late because the heat makes it difficult to sleep, so I take advantage of the time and go out with my friends for a beer, go to a pub, or do something outdoors.

When I have several days off, I also like to go camping. If I have a few days off, I go to Teruel,...